Spot 3 GPS Messenger

The Spot satellite system gives you world-wide coverage so you will never get stuck out in a field without cellphone coverage and have no way to call for a retrieve.

Price: $145

Press the help button and an SMS and/or email is sent to the contact(s) you specified during the unit set-up. The message includes your pre-programmed message as well as the Latitude, Longitude and link to a google map showing your location.

The OK button sends a different pre-programmed message to let your contact(s) know all is going well.

The track button creates a breadcrumb trail by automatically checking in every 5, 10, 30, 60 minutes (your preference) and showing the location of each check-in on a google map. This lets anyone who knows the link to your shared page follow your progress while in flight. It is also a great safety aid in case of incapacitation to enable searchers to find you.

The SOS/911 button sends a message to alert the nearest emergency services to your current GPS location.

The Spot 3 has about twice the battery life of the Spot 2 units. Another nice feature of the Gen 3 is the USB port that allows for an external power source (but it won't charge the batteries). It will run using either 4 AAA Energizer Lithium Ultimate, or rechargeable NiMH batteries.

It is highly recommended that you attach the Spot to your body while in flight. In case of bail-out, you want the Spot to go with you, not the glider!

All of the Spot features mentioned above are managed by the user on their Spot shared page. The page is activated once you buy an annual subscription from Spot for the monitoring service. The basic service is $99 per year and the tracking service is $149 per year.